On May 5, Les Ateliers Courbet will host the first New York exhibition of Italian artist and furniture maker, Mauro Mori. The show will feature a comprehensive selection of sculptural furniture pieces and vessels hand-crafted at the artist’s studios in Milan and in the Seychelles. A + A interviewed the artist this morning via email:

Could you please share a little background on your training as a sculptor?
From an early age I was passionate about sculpture and began to experiment with wood in my father’s workshop in Parma. I’ve always liked working with my hands and when I arrived in the Seychelles in 1993, I was inspired by all the beautiful large-scale wood to be found there, and when a friend who was building a villa there suggested I might give him a hand to furnish it, I started sculpting wooden furniture for it. From then on, it became my profession. In 1995 my work began to be distributed worldwide by Mondo Cappellini, an association that lasted until 2004. Since then my work has been shown in galleries and showrooms and has been acquired by interior designers for many private and commercial projects.

What are the recurring themes in your work?
As a craftsman I work exclusively with natural materials. I prefer simple shapes and I like to work from the starting-point of the material rather than its form, which on the whole I prefer to be simple because I believe simplicity, is a unifying thread in my work. Another very important point is to give value to the three-dimensionality of the shapes.

As far as my works in marble and wood are concerned, it’s a question of subtracting from a block of material until I find the form I want.

The intent of your designs?
My intent is to transmit by means of my work my passion for hand-made craft and timeless noble materials.

Your inspiration?
My everyday life and the interpretations of symbols and symbolism.

The challenges in your work?
To always be true to myself.

Your preferred materials?
First of all, my preferred material is wood. Then I love marble’s eternity and the ductility of some metals like bronze, copper, brass and aluminum – often finished with personalized patinas.

Where can your work be seen in Europe?
In my studio in Milan, and also in some galleries.

Are there other sculptors, living or dead, whom you admire?
Yes, of course. Constantin Brancusi and Isamu Noguchi are without any doubt two of my favorites.

For more, go here.

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